A county animal rights advocate said Monday night that the proposed legislation for penalizing pet owners for keeping their dogs outside in cold weather doesn’t cover all the bases — including protecting a man’s best friend from extreme heat.

“The dangers of extreme heat must be spelled out,” said Ann Selnick, a member of the Animal Advocates of Howard County. “The public is unhappy seeing dogs outside in these extreme conditions.”

Councilman Jon Weinstein, who is seeking re-election in District 1, proposed the bill to deter pet owners from keeping their dogs outside without proper shelter between Dec. 1 and March 31 and when temperatures drop below 32 degrees. It specified acceptable shelters and the length of a tether.

Weinstein said Monday that he’s moving forward with an amendment to ban tethering countywide, as well as to remove the seasonal focus from the bill.

At this time the legislation is not focusing on specific temperatures, according to Jessie Keller, a district aide for Weinstein.

Weinstein’s office worked directly with animal control and reviewed legislation from other jurisdictions when establishing the bill’s guidelines, no scientific evidence or testing was looked at, Keller said.

Weinstein originally filed the bill in April and introduced it this month, but he said that after receiving feedback on the legislation, he will file the amendment. The deadline for pre-filling amendments is June 28.

Dog owners could face a series of fines if the legislation passes. A first offense is a $100 ticket, a second offense within two years is $150 and a third offense is $300. The tickets would be distributed by county police and animal control officers.

Selnick, speaking on behalf of the animal advocates nonprofit, said that the $100 “would not be enough to be a deterrent.”

“We feel that the animal control penalties are not strong enough,” Selnick said.

The animal advocates group is supporting the bill but said that the bill “needs to be tweaked,” saying that both the issues of tethering of a pet and extreme temperatures need to be addressed.

“Some [dogs] live their entire lives at the end of a chain,” Selnick said. “They [dogs] must be removed from their chains and be removed from extreme temperatures.”

Deborah Baracco, administrator for the Howard County Animal Control, spoke in favor of the bill on Monday, applauding the addition of prohibiting the tethering of dogs.

“Isolating [a dog] on a chain is one of the cruelest acts we can do against our dogs … dogs housed on chains develop both social and behavioral problems,” Baracco said.

The bill proposes for the Howard County animal administrator to have the authority to send out social media and internet alerts to residents, Weinstein has said.

Three community members also testified in support of the proposed legislation Monday, while still expressing concern about keeping dogs outside in warm weather and tethering.

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The man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend has been found dead in his Maryland cell the day that opening statements were expected to begin. News outlets report that 33-year-old Tyler Tessier was found dead of apparent suicide early Thursday at Montgomery County Correctional Facility, a year after Laura Wallen's body was found. Laura Wallen, a Wilde Lake High School teacher, was found dead a in a shallow grave in a secluded field in Damascus last September. The 31-year-old social studies teacher from Olney was reported missing after she failed to show up for the first day of classes.

The man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend has been found dead in his Maryland cell the day that opening statements were expected to begin. News outlets report that 33-year-old Tyler Tessier was found dead of apparent suicide early Thursday at Montgomery County Correctional Facility, a year after Laura Wallen's body was found. Laura Wallen, a Wilde Lake High School teacher, was found dead a in a shallow grave in a secluded field in Damascus last September. The 31-year-old social studies teacher from Olney was reported missing after she failed to show up for the first day of classes.

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The man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend has been found dead in his Maryland cell the day that opening statements were expected to begin. News outlets report that 33-year-old Tyler Tessier was found dead of apparent suicide early Thursday at Montgomery County Correctional Facility, a year after Laura Wallen's body was found. Laura Wallen, a Wilde Lake High School teacher, was found dead a in a shallow grave in a secluded field in Damascus last September. The 31-year-old social studies teacher from Olney was reported missing after she failed to show up for the first day of classes.

The man accused of killing his pregnant girlfriend has been found dead in his Maryland cell the day that opening statements were expected to begin. News outlets report that 33-year-old Tyler Tessier was found dead of apparent suicide early Thursday at Montgomery County Correctional Facility, a year after Laura Wallen's body was found. Laura Wallen, a Wilde Lake High School teacher, was found dead a in a shallow grave in a secluded field in Damascus last September. The 31-year-old social studies teacher from Olney was reported missing after she failed to show up for the first day of classes.

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Peggy Marx, a former neighbor of the Katz family, recalls the family as being anti-social when they lived near her home nearly a decade earlier. David Katz, 24, is the suspected gunman in Sunday's mass shooting at a video game tournament in Jacksonville, FL. (Amy Davis, Baltimore Sun video)

Peggy Marx, a former neighbor of the Katz family, recalls the family as being anti-social when they lived near her home nearly a decade earlier. David Katz, 24, is the suspected gunman in Sunday's mass shooting at a video game tournament in Jacksonville, FL. (Amy Davis, Baltimore Sun video)

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Archbishop William E. Lori celebrates mass at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church in historic Ellicott City about a week after the area was ravaged by severe flooding. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun video)

Archbishop William E. Lori celebrates mass at St. Paul Roman Catholic Church in historic Ellicott City about a week after the area was ravaged by severe flooding. (Karl Merton Ferron/Baltimore Sun video)

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Liz Walsh, Democrat nominee for County Council in District 1, reacts to her victory over incumbent Jon Weinstein, following a recount of the primary election votes on Wednesday, July 11.

Liz Walsh, Democrat nominee for County Council in District 1, reacts to her victory over incumbent Jon Weinstein, following a recount of the primary election votes on Wednesday, July 11.

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Hysteria Brewing in Columbia organized a fundraiser In light of the tragic flooding of Ellicott City Historic District. They will be donating 50% of all on premise alcohol and merchandise proceeds to Ellicott City Partnership and an additional amount to Semper K9 Assistance Dogs.

Hysteria Brewing in Columbia organized a fundraiser In light of the tragic flooding of Ellicott City Historic District. They will be donating 50% of all on premise alcohol and merchandise proceeds to Ellicott City Partnership and an additional amount to Semper K9 Assistance Dogs.